I won an ARC edition in a GOODREADS giveaway. ( )

Patricia Miller accomplishes here a very detailed, in-depth investigation of the nineteenth-century scandal that was brought to trial and changed how America looked at women’s sexuality. Madeline Pollard was considered “ruined” by an affair with a high-ranking government official, but she fought back, and won. The trial described within these pages brought to light events and women’s rights struggles that echo those of current times and proves that there is nothing new under the sun.

Perfect for History buffs! ( )

Patricia Miller accomplishes here a very detailed, in-depth investigation of the nineteenth-century scandal that was brought to trial and changed how America looked at women’s sexuality. Madeline Pollard was considered “ruined” by an affair with a high-ranking government official, but she fought back, and won. The trial described within these pages brought to light events and women’s rights struggles that echo those of current times and proves that there is nothing new under the sun.

Perfect for History buffs! ( )

Started; did not complete.

In the 1880s, sexual mores of the time meant that women just didn't talk about sex in public. If they were "ruined" and no longer virgins, they bore the brunt of the blame. Then along comes Madeline Pollard, who sues a well-known congressman and Civil War soldier, Colonel W.C.P. Breckinridge, for breach of promise. This is the account of that courtroom battle, their relationship, and the impact it had on expectations of women and sex.

The main flaw in this book is that there simply wasn't enough material for a book length treatment. The oral presentation the author gave last summer that I attended was fascinating, but it hit all the highlights without going into the detailed tangents that the book does. At only 300 pages (not counting notes), it managed to feel too long, primarily because of all the digressions - giving us detailed background on past legal cases of breach of promise, for example, or a detailed account of the Colonel's daughter, Sophonisba, and her schooling. The courtroom battle, the middle of the book, was by far the most interesting part, but I would have like to have more dates included as I got lost in how quickly or slowly things happened. And sometimes the structure of the story just left me scratching my head about the author's choices, such as the chapter in which she summed up the results of the trial but then spent the bulk of the chapter exploring when Willie Breckinridge's account or Madeline Pollard's might have been more truthful than the other. There were far too many "seems likely" for my taste, such as a section where Miller surmises who may have paid Pollard's legal fees. And yet, the author has done significant research; it seemed like she tried to get every last bit into the book to make it long enough and I confess I got a bit lost in the details. The core of the story is fascinating in terms of women's rights, the court of public opinion that shifted to put less of the blame on the woman as "seductress," and I enjoyed learning about a little-known legal case in history. Unfortunately, the book - other than the account of the trial - was dry reading and unfocused. ( )